Who would have thought that ten months would escape me as fast as they have. And who could have imagined how much life would change! Needless to say, in these last ten months, I have done all of those things mentioned in that quote.
I have walked away from bad situations, questionable relationships, and unsure educational opportunities. Yet, at the same time, I haven't gone anywhere. I have stayed in the small town of Quincy instead of heading back to college or to Chile to teach English. Of ALL of my ideas, Heavenly Father has (thanks heavens) guided me to...well, here. "Grow where you are planted." That's exactly what I'm doing! Literally. In Quincy haha.
I have flown away! To LOTS of places! Chicago, Iowa, Albuquerque, Utah, and (the best one yet) Mexico! And let me tell you...Those were some of the best trips ever. No worries, I'll go into more detail about all of this! :D
And I have definitely driven away! LOTS of trips to Moses Lake, several to Seattle/Tacoma, a couple to Rexburg, and a few more to the temples in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Seattle. LOTS of driving.
And, best of all, I have made some drastic changes to my life. (:
(Note: To any reading this, it is rather lengthy haha. But I'm writing it more for myself to have later on, but feel free to read on! :P )
Let's start with January! I was working as a substitute para professional all through December, but I had found out that the In-School Suspension teacher from the high school was going to be moving. I worried about applying, because I wasn't planning on staying after this year. I planned on going back to Rexburg after June/July. But I decided to apply anyways with some encouragement from my boss! I had the interview, and I did mention that I wasn't planning on staying...Annnd I was NOT offered the position...But the Lord definitely has a way of making things work out in His way haha. Oddly, I was not particularly worried. They asked me to fill the position for about 2 weeks until the REAL person they hired could start. Well, they changed the work schedule. The new lady turned the job down. Sooo I was hired! And thanks heavens! Because for some odd reason, the Lord just knew I would end up sticking around here for a bit. :D
January was sort of the month where I figured it all out. I was finally feeling confident in what I would be doing (working, saving, and then heading back to school in June or so!), and I was optimistic about being strong and obedient and loving life...Also, near the end of the month, a young man walked into the picture, all the way from Tennessee.
February...So this young man came to Quincy to work for a while. I met him at institute, and he wanted to start carpooling to institute. It was pretty fun, and hanging out with him and Aleen Guerra (now Aleen Hyer!) was a blast. So we sort of began dating, but I felt extremely unsure about dating him. Especially since it was possible he would be getting sent back to Utah for work. Despite the fact that Mom and Dad loved the guy, and he was really fun, this is where I decided to walk away. Sure enough, two days after I decided to not get more involved, he was called back to Utah. Listo. Ya. Walked away. Moved on.
After reading through my journal a bit, it sounds like March was full of scripture study, personal reflections, and inner peace--knowing that I was making the right choices. Even though I wasn't 100% sure about anything at this point, I wasn't stressed out or worried. I just knew things would work out. (And, oh, how they have! :) ...) I MUST share one hilarious thing that I had gotten out of Stake Conference, though. The Stake President unexpectedly asked 3 young men who were preparing to serve missions to go up and share their testimonies. The three walk up, and the last one to share his testimony stands up and says, "So President just asked us to come up and bear our testimonies...I'm not going to lie. My eyes were closed, and I don't have my shoes on!...Good morning!" Hahahaha! We all died laughing, and everyone up on the stand immediately started busting up even more after glancing down at his feet. Sure enough! He only had socks on haha.
Also in March we moved to Cherlyn's! And I must admit that I am SO grateful that I had that chance to live with her. She may be my cousin who lives just on the other side of town, but I hardly knew her. Now as I sat next to her in church today, we giggled and chatted about life and plans. :) I love her to death. Anywho, yes. I focused a lot on scripture study and prayer during this month, wanting to make sure that I was making the right decisions. And I can't describe the peace that I felt. Something little that I wrote in my journal: "This peace does not come from the outside world, my job, institute, etc. It comes from somewhere deep inside. It is just this strong and solid, yet comfortable and quiet, assurance that everything is okay. I may not be insanely righteous and perfect, but I do my best. I may not make a lot of money; my softball team may have gotten slaughtered yesterday; I may not have all my schooling done; and I may not be married...But everything will be okay." ..I was so wise! I should take my own advice. I need that kind of patience and feeling that everything will work out in the time of the Lord! :P
This was also in the early Spring, which was when SOFTBALL STARTED! Well I was working a somewhat funky schedule (7:30-5:00, Mon-Thurs), so I went to practice for just a little bit each day, but it was worth it. Anywho, a fellow coach mentioned WGU for schooling--all online, basically. And I really liked the idea! So I looked into it, and I was going to change to Math Education, but something kept holding me back. Whether it was work, softball, or indecisiveness I'm not sure, but I did nothing with it. I just continued to research it.
Well, General Conference weekend/Spring Break in April lead me to taking a trip to Utah and Rexburg...
Driving to Seattle to go to the airport! Mom joined me for the day to go eat delicious sushi!
Probably the most beautiful shot I had ever seen on a plane...
I first spent several days with Kelsey, Keatn, and their dogs in Rexburg!
Then it was off to Salt Lake City!! I was able to see a ton of companions and even get to see and hug my amazing mission president and wife, who came all the way from Buenos Aires!
Like the pictures show, I mostly went to visit some friends. But I also wanted to make a trip to the temple there...And oddly, as I walked around campus and reacquainted myself with everything, I wasn't feeling so excited or great about the idea of returning to Rexburg. I LOVE the school, but I don't know. When I went to the temple, I got to reading a little bit. Take a read through Doctrine & Covenants 111 with the question, "Where should I go?" Especially after verse 3 haha. "Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you should be led, and as it shall be given you." Haha I just about died laughing in the temple. Well I felt I needed to stay in Quincy for a while is what I got to thinking...So I started looking into online schooling and making hints to my boss that I was thinking about sticking around for a while longer, like at least another year...
I decided that the best way to "form acquaintance with men" was by going to the Young Single Adult ward, despite the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of the idea haha. But BOY does the Lord know how to lead and guide! On probably the second or third week of attending the YSA ward, a tall, dark, and handsome Mexican had flown to Washington to visit his mission!
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